Mountainside's Levi Cory House is almost ready to move to its new home

MOUNTAINSIDE — On Friday afternoon, Oct. 4, men were still jacking up the Levi Cory House at 2 New Providence Road in Mountainside.

The house is slated to be moved on Saturday to its new home on Constitution Plaza, adjacent to the Mountainside Library and the Deacon Andrew Hetfield House.

Chairman of the Historical Commission Scott Daniels said he thought the move could still go forward on Saturday, but Wayne Yarusi, the head of the house moving company, had his doubts.

He said there had been delays because as the house was lifted from its foundation, more rot was found than expected.

Daniels concurred that there was more damage than expected. "The whole back end had dry rot," he said.

Restoration Committee member George Urban said there was also a lot of termite damage found.

Daniels said he would do whatever it took "to make it (the move) happen" on Saturday. Three utility companies are to be on hand that day and it was already too late to reach them.

As the house is moved up New Providence Road toward and across Route 22, the utility workers will remove whatever lines are across the road, then replace them after the house has gone past. The effect will be one of the house "cascading down the road," as the utilities are unhooked, Daniels said.

All that remains to be done tonight is for the house to be jacked up high enough for a small earth mover to clear out the dirt under the house. Once that is done, a truck will put a flat bed, "dolly," under the house. The house will be carefully placed on the dolly and the move will begin.

The move was slated to begin between 7 and 8 a.m. Saturday and be complete by noon.